A Great Debate: Is Computer Code Protected Speech?

Table of Contents

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Anti-Circumvention Provision

Anti-Trafficking Provision

PPT Slide

Anti-Trafficking: Copying

Escape Clause 1

Escape Clause 2

Exemptions to Anti-Circumvention

Library Exemption

The Librarians’ Catch-22

Reverse Engineering

Encryption Research

Librarian of Congress Reports

Part IIWhy Is Code Protected Speech?

Is Code Speech?

What’s Special About Code?

“Code is Dangerous” Argument

But Code Isn’t Dangerous

Guns Don’t Kill People:People Do

Treat Software Like Guns?

The “No Ideas Here” Strategy

Ideas That Code Can Express

DVD Decryption in Perl

“Imminent Peril” Strategy

WARNING:You are only one mouse click away from destroying the motion picture industry!Click here to continue...

Counting Mouse Clicks

When Does Code Not Pose an Imminent Danger?

When Is Code Not Dangerous?

Where to Draw the Line?

Conclusions

The Censorship of IdeasIs Intolerable

Email: dst@cs.cmu.edu

Home Page: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst

Other information:
David Touretzky's slides from "A Great Debate: Is Computer Code Protected Speech?", November 30, 2001, Carnegie Mellon University. Michael I. Shamos vs. David S. Touretzky. Moderated by Peter Shane.

Download presentation source

Peter Shane's and Michael Shamos' Powerpoint slides are here.

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